May 28 2011
New EMBA students! Power of Prayer and God making himself famous
A new batch of EMBA students from Ch1na have arrived and we are very excited to meet this new group of students and and are really become a part of their lives. New summer students from other programs are also trickling in as we also have spent time with many of the returning students who aren’t able to go home and so spend the summer taking classes. Summer is one of the best times in our ministry. Also, believe it or not, less than two weeks before our trip. (see May pictures)
Thanks to all who contacted me to commit to pray for the trip. I will contact you soon with a plan for the time. We still need a few more people; people who would pray a little each day and who would take one day a week while we prepare and are on the trip.
- We got a encouraging e-mail from a believing student friend who was about to return home. Right before going home, she and an unbelieving friend took at trip to New York. Her flight from New York, scheduled two days before her trip back to her country was cancelled because of the tornadic weather out here. The next day did not look any better. She told her friend that she was not concerned because God would take care of them. The next day, they signed up to fly standby on an earlier flight than they were scheduled for. They were leaving for home the following early morning. This person’s friend was the last person who was able to get on to the earlier flight. They arrived in DFW in the afternoon. That night a HUGE storm came through and her other friend who was on the original flight got stuck flying into Austin and they had to stay the night. Our friend (and her friend), on the other hand, had just enough time to pack and board the flight for home. What a faith builder! and testimony to the friend.
- The 2011 EMBA students are here. A very different group that then 2010 group but we are very much blessed by them. Also, the students are very much attracted to Ron’s Golf lessons(20 of the 35 went to the first meeting) and 27 of the 35 came to our house from Friday night group and we have a full table for discussion group and Bible discovery group This has been awesome!
- The kids are finishing their semester and Charis and Tim won many awards for their school year. We haven’t heard about Jonathan’s year yet.
- Final preparations for our trip are coming together. We are almost there! Hard to believe.
- For the EMBA 2011 group,
- Pray that we can find enough friendship partner host families for these students. Almost all of the 35 signed up and we are still very much short.
- Pray for a someone who could help instruct the students in golf while Ron is recovering from surgery. This is a very pressing need as so many of them want to learn.
- Pray for a home to host a sort of “grand opening” welcome party for them in late July.
- Keep on praying for Ron as he deals with the prostate cancer. His surgery is coming soon.
- Keep praying for our city mobilizer, Jeff who is struggling with his mother’s terminal illness. Pray for his son too who is struggling with some unexplained extreme headaches.
- Continue to pray for Roy’s Irritable Bowel. It’s getting better but not completely.
- Pray for people who will step up and do the stuff Ron and we do for the UTA ministry and specifically the Friday group in June, a very important time for ministry while we are gone and Ron is recovering.
- Pray for the final week before the Asia trip. Pray that we don’t forget anything. Pray that we can get our hearts in a ministry mindset. (abiding in Christ) and we can get rest now before things get crazy. Continue to pray for the right heart for our kids… Pray that God will do something incredible for them on this trip.
- Pray for airport pickups for new summer students. Pray for good relationships and that we can fine people of peace who God has already been working in.
good friend Jessica passed away. She was only 36. Lisa and I met her the day she first met her husband Sean. The two of them were a match made in heaven (I guess we all are in some ways…) She was young, sweet, sophisticated, had traveled the world and a firm Believer. Sean was gentle, kind, passionate about people from around the world. We all were part of a team of people led by our mentors Dan and Tammy who were all in our twenties and thirties who loved international students and did all kinds of crazy things together. Looking back it was a very special time. Sean shared during the memorial service that we used to call them the velcro couple… I don’t remember that… sounds like something our buddy Warren would say… but I believe it might have been true because they really were. I could still see her that first night at the Samuels’ house. I think she was wearing a red beret or something…
Then last week, we got a call. Sean called us, “Jessica was in the hospital and was just about to go home for hospice care.” We jumped in our car and went to go see her. Even in the midst of her suffering and difficulty, she still was the same optimistic Jessica. Her brother, Jasper, an officer in the US Navy was there and was gently and faithfully helping her. They must have had a special family judging by the products.
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